Lil Nas X Vents Frustrations After He's Not Nominated at BET Awards, Says Hits 'Should've Helped Me'

Lil Nas X said it was less about his lack of nominations, and more about how he felt as though he has to "fight to be seen in this world" as a gay Black artist

Lil Nas X. Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty

Lil Nas X is expressing his disappointment after he came up short on the nominations list for this year's BET Awards.

The "Industry Baby" singer, 23, vented his frustrations on Twitter Wednesday after neither he nor his debut studio album Montero were named as nominees for the 2022 BET Awards, which will take place later this month.

"thank you bet awards. an outstanding zero nominations again. black excellence!" he wrote in a series of posts that have since been deleted.

After a fan questioned his tweet and asked why he felt he deserved to be nominated, Lil Nas X responded: "idk maybe 3 of the biggest songs of last year & a critically acclaimed album… i feel like that should've helped me a bit"

Montero, which came out in September, reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and was nominated for album of the year at the Grammy Awards.

Lil Nas X/Twitter

Lil Nas X/Twitter

Lil Nas X/Twitter

Two of the album's singles — "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" and "Industry Baby" — topped the Billboard Hot 100, while a third, "That's What I Want," peaked at No. 8.

In a follow-up tweet, Lil Nas X, who is openly gay, further explained his frustrations, and said it was less about his lack of nominations and more about what he feels is a lack of acceptance.

"not even that, doesn't even have to be me nominated," he wrote. "i just feel like black gay ppl have to fight to be seen in this world and even when we make it to the top mfs try to pretend we are invisible."

The BET Awards responded in a statement on June 7, writing, "We love Lil Nas X. He was nominated for a Best New Artist BET Award in 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice: he performed "Old Town Road" with Billy Ray Cyrus at BET Awards 2019 and his BET Awards 2021 performance was a highlight of our show. No one cheered louder that night than BET.

Unfortunately, this year, he was not nominated by BET's Voting Academy, which is comprised of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals in the fields of music, television, film, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, influencers, and creative arts. No one from BET serves as a member of the Voting Academy.

At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful diversity that exists within our community. We are committed to using all of our platforms to provide visibility and inclusion for all of the many intersections of the Black community."

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In addition to his album of the year nomination, Lil Nas X was nominated for four additional Grammys this year, and also won favorite music video at the American Music Awards.

BET nominations were announced Wednesday morning, with Doja Cat leading the pack with six nominations.

Artists nominated for best album include Silk Sonic, H.E.R., Tyler, the Creator, Drake, Kanye West, Jazmine Sullivan and Doja Cat, while Drake, Future, J. Cole, Jack Harlow, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Lil Baby are up for best male hip-hop artist.

The BET Awards, which honor musicians, actors and athletes, are airing live from Los Angeles on June 26.